General Election 2015: Back-to-work support

It's time for a new approach

Back-to-work schemes have little understanding of people with mental health problems and simply aren’t working. They’re actually making more people unwell and less likely to find work.

We’re calling on the next Government to take people with mental health problems out of current back-to-work schemes. We need a new programme focusing on person-centred and specialist support that understands people with mental health problems and the challenges they face.

Take action and email your MP. Tell them there's a better way to support people back into work.

Andy's story

Andy has personal experience of falling out of work due to mental health problems. He used to be a headteacher but after suffering from a deep depression and not getting the right support, he had to leave his role.

Watch him tell his story.

Take action and email your MP. Tell them there's a better way to support people back into work.

Anne-Marie's story

Anne-Marie enjoyed working in a customer-facing role for over 11 years. She enjoyed being able to give customer satisfaction, especially with elderly and disabled people. It helped her feel better about herself. However, due to a mental health problem she cannot currently work.

Watch Anne-Marie tell her story.

Take action and email your MP. Tell them there's a better way to support people back into work.

What you need to know

Most people with mental health problems want to work and would do if they got the right kind of support.

When you’re in work and living with a mental health problem, personalised support and an understanding employer go a long way to helping you stay healthy and perform your job well. When you’re out of work and living with a mental health problem, finding a job presents a huge challenge. You need personalised and specialist support to get into work.

Back-to-work schemes have little understanding of people with mental health problems and often assume they lack motivation and willingness to work. In fact it’s the impact of their illness and the environment they are expected to work in that present the toughest challenges.

We’re calling on the next Government to take people with mental health problems out of current back-to-work schemes. We need a new programme focusing on person-centred and specialist support that understands people with mental health problems and the challenges they face.

Please read our new report ‘We’ve got work to do’ which sets out the principles of how such a programme could work.

Take action

We want the next Government to take people with mental health problems out of current back-to-work schemes and create a new programme. One that focuses on personalised support and understands the challenges people with mental health problems face.

You can help us get the people who can make a difference to listen.

Watch and share Andy's film with your friends and family

For MPs, candidates and policy makers

Nearly half of people receiving ESA are claiming primarily because of mental health problems and many more are unemployed. However, back to work support for people with mental health problems isn’t working. Current schemes don’t understand people with mental health problems and are ill-equipped to support them into work.

Evidence shows such schemes only help 5 per cent of people with mental health problems with 83 per cent also reporting these schemes have made their condition worse.

It’s time for a new approach to support people with mental health problems into work.

We want the next Government to take people with mental health problems, who are on ESA, out of current back-to-work schemes. We want a new programme that focuses on personalised support and understands the challenges people with mental health problems face.

Our new report ‘We’ve got work to do’ sets out the principles of how such a programme could work. Please read it and share it with your colleagues.